Fujitsu PalmSecure-Biometric Device
February 4th, 2006
Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative computer products including hard disk drives, peripherals and biometric security solutions, today announced its new PalmSecureâ„¢ biometric authentication device to the North American market as part of Fujitsu’s global launch. There is increasing demand worldwide from governments and the private sector (including enterprises and individuals) for leading-edge biometric security technology that is difficult to breach. Fujitsu will strive to meet those needs and aims to promote its advanced-security palm vein authentication technology with the goal of creating a de-facto standard in global security markets.
Fujitsu PalmSecure biometric authentication technology works by utilizing the unique characteristic of reduced hemoglobin. The PalmSecure device captures the palm vein image while radiating it with near-infrared rays. The reduced hemoglobin in the palm vein absorbs these rays, thereby reducing the reflection rate and causing the veins to appear as a black pattern. This vein map is then verified against the pre-registered pattern to authenticate the individual. The results have an extremely high degree of accuracy with a false acceptance rate1 of less than 0.00008%, while maintaining a false rejection rate2 of only 0.01%.
In addition to providing outstanding security, ease of use of the Fujitsu PalmSecure device is key. The user simply places the palm of the hand above the reader and the machine does all the work, creating a contactless, hygienic solution necessary for public areas.
The Fujitsu PalmSecure is distinctive because its state-of-the-art sensor is only able to recognize the pattern if hemoglobin is actively flowing through the person’s veins. Additionally, each individual’s palm vein pattern is unique, even in the case of identical twins. The combination of these factors give the Fujitsu palm vein device an edge over competing biometric identification products such as facial configuration, and fingerprint and iris scanning.
“This is an important announcement for Fujitsu because it establishes Fujitsu as a leader with next generation biometric authentication,” said Joel Hagberg, vice president, marketing and business development, Fujitsu Computer Products of America. “The biometric industry will experience dramatic growth in the coming years as organizations implement improvements in IT and infrastructure security. We are very excited to put a biometric identification system on the market that can meet growing customer needs.”
Fujitsu began research and development of vein-recognition technology in 2000, drawing on more than two decades of image recognition experience. The company decided to aggressively pursue this because the biometric security industry is expected to have dramatic adoption growth over the next three years, with a compound annual growth rate of 36.5%.3 Fujitsu anticipates that palm vein authentication will see significant growth in this sector due to its ease of use, high reliability and competitive pricing.
Applications for the Fujitsu PalmSecure are vast and span several vertical markets, including security, financial/banking, access control, healthcare and government applications. Several Fujitsu customers in Japan have already experienced great success using the palm vein device for the following appplications: identification purposes in financial institutions; access control for high-security areas; and customer and employee identification.
More info at Fujitsu
